Battle tank



Oct. 24, 1944. w SHEEHAN ETAL 2,361,129

BATTLE TANK Filed June 14, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS .WILLIAM M. SHEEHAN ATTORNEY SAMUEL T WHARTON, J R.

Oct. 24, 1944. w SHEEHAN. ET AL 2,361,129

BATTLE TANK Filed June 14, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 AMUEL T WHAR TONPJR,

INVENTORS 7 WILLIAM M. SHEEHAN 06L 1944- w. M. SHEEHAN ETAL 2,361,129

-BATTLE TANK Filed June 14, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG.11.

INVENTORS WILLIAM M. SHEEHAN SAMUEL T. WHARTON, JR.

KTTORNEY Patented Oct. 24, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I BATTLE TANK I William M. Sheehan, Philadelphia, and Samuel T. Wharton, Jr., 'Ridley Park, Pa., assignors to General Steel Castings Corporation, Granite City, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application June 14, 1941, Serial No. 398,150

Claims.

This invention relates to battle tanks and com prises a one-piece, self-supporting top unit of the tank, extending upward fromthe chassis and supporting guns, turrets and other parts, which unit is referred to in this application as the tank hull.

In ordinary tank construction, there is a chassis, on top of which is constructed an armored upper portion of rolled steel .armor plates fastened together and supporting turrets, guns, etc.

Such armor plates are flat and have to be braced and are easily pierced by gun projectiles which strike them at right angles.

The main object of this invention is to provide a hull of armor cast steel, turtle back in shape, to present an oblique surface to projectiles striking it from any direction, so as to deflect the projectiles at an angle, thus reducing the impact and penetrating efiectof the projectile and forming greater protection for the crew of the tank.

Another object of this invention is to provide a one-piece hull, avoiding the use of rivets and bolts, which area hazard in a tank constructed of armor plate as a projectile striking such armor plate breaks the heads off of bolts and rivets and throws the rivets and bolts into the tank and most likely injuring the men.

Another object is to provide the hull with necessary doors so arranged that the joints between thedoor and the hull will retard thespeed of movement of the metal splash and prevent it from entering the tank and injuring the men therein.

Another object is to brace the turret base, against impact of the fire of guns therein, .by

' properly shaping the hull to obtain the desired result and independently of tional bracing.

Another object of the invention is to reduce the silhouette presented by the tank, and this object is attained by dropping the bottom edge of the hull side wall below the top of the sill of the tank chassis and forming thereby the bottom of a door frame in the hull, permitting the doorway to extend down substantially to the top of the chassis.

These and other detailed objects of the invention are attained by the structure illustratedin the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a topview-of a tank hull made in accordance with'thepresent invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same and also indicating portions of the tank chassis.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical section taken on the line 33 of Figure 1.

separate or addi- Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical detailed sectiontaken on the line 4-4 of Figure ,1.

Figure 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 5--5 of Figure 2. I

Figures 6-11 are vertical transverse sections taken on the corresponding section lines of Fig,- ure 1, Figure 6 also indicating portions of the chassis and the'main turret carried by the hull.

Figure 12 is a detailed vertical transverse section taken on the line [2-42 of Figure 2.

Figure 13 is a detailed horizontal section taken on the line I 3- I 3 of Figure 2.

Figures i2 and 6 indicate a chassis which includes an endless track i associated with wheels 2 positioned outwardly of and carrying upright plates 3 forming the chassis sills which aresupported on the wheels through springs and axles (not shown). The details of this structure in themselves form fno'part of the present invention.

The tank hull preferably consists of a onepiece casting of armor steel carried on sills 3 and having .an exterior surface of general turtle back contour so that the wall of the hull is arched substantially from side to .side (and from end to end of the hull with the exposed surfaces facing laterally, forwardly and upwardly, all mergingwith each other.

The upper central portion of the hull has a relatively large circular opening 4, the annular rim of which forms a mounting for a rotating turret indicated at 5. A vertical transverse web 6 extends from side to side of the hull immediately at the rear .of opening 4 and braces this part of the hull wall and rests upon the upper edges of sills 3.

A relatively shorter and shallower vertical web I extends from side to side of the hull near its rear end and also rests upon sills 3, the hull being carried by webs 6 and l and by the lower transverse ledges of-the end Walls of the hull" sides of opening 8 being offset and flattened to provide opening 8 with an annular rim 8a which lies in a substantially horizontal plane to form and traction a mounting for a gun frame. At the side of the longitudinal center line of the hull opposite to opening 8, the hull wall extends upwardly and rearwardly in acontinuous sweep, as indicated at 9 (Figure 4), and is provided with an aperture .Hl, the edge of which forms a rim la. for a visor or visor mounting, through which the operator of the tank sees to drive. The wall is curved between openings 8 and I0 to merge with rim's 8a, and Illa as indicated in Figure 9.

The forward edge of the hull terminates in a I riveting flange I I, the lower face of which extends horizontally across the hull and rests upon suitable elements of the chassis. Between elements 6, l and II the hull is arched longitudinally and rear of opening the corresponding portion 2! of the cast hull forms a support and merges with the remainder of the hull structure to form therewith a readily cast one-piece deflecting structure which, as pointed out in detail above, attains the general objectives of such a structure.

It will be understood that the details of the contour and other features illustrated and described may bechanged without departing from I the spirit of the invention, and the exclusive use transversely of its length and this shaping enables it to sustain its weight and the weight of turret and gun structure thereon without being braced or otherwise supported throughout its intermediate portion,

Also this shaping of the hull provides for the inclination of the forwardly and laterally exposed faces obliquely to the vertical and thereby tends to defiect'any projectiles striking the hull from the front and sides and delivered from substantially horizontal directions as is the course of most projectiles which would be fired at a tank. a The portions of the hull surrounding apertures 4, 8 and I0 merge with each other in smooth curves, as indicated particularly in Figures 3 and 9, so as to avoid sharp angles and perpendicular surfaces.

The hull is provided with openings I2 comprising doorways for the admission and egress of men and equipment, and each of these openings is fitted with a door 13 (Figures 12 and 13). The door has integralhinge lugs l4 mounted on cooperating hinge butts liintegral with the hull.

The door includes a part l9, which extends wellinto the doorway, and a lip portion 20 which overlies the outwardly facing rim or flange l8 on the hull wall.

from the hull wall with its outer periphery inclined to the wall surface and its inner periphery forming the outer side of a channel-like recess 2| surroundingrim l8.

The shape and projection of beading 22, the restricted crevice 23 between the edge ofthe door and the side of channel 2|, thelarge pocket atthe inner end of crevice 23, all cooperate to deflect and bafile the admission between the door and the rim of particles of metal-which result fromimpact of the projectile and would be likely to passthrough the ordinary joint betweena door and its frame. The door and associated structur form the subject matter of a divisional application filed September 5, 1942,*Serial No. 457,392.

Immediately below door opening I2 the side of The edge of lip portion 20 is surrounded by a heading or flange 22 .projecting of such modifications as come within the scope "of the claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In a battle tank, a chassis including spaced sill-like elements and traction mechanism supporting the same, and a hull extending outwardly beyond said elements and upwardly and over the same and comprising a wall of cast armor arched from side to side of the hull and provided with an opening in its upper face surrounded by a rim for mounting a turret, there being upright webs extending from side to side of the hull adjacent to said opening and formed integrally with said wall and supporting the hull on said elements.

2. In a battle tank, a chassis and a one-piece cast armor hull carried thereby and having a substantially turtle back contour, there being an apertured depression in an end part of said hull forming a fiat annular rim for mounting a gun frame, said rim merging with the adjacent arcuate turtle back contour lines.

3. A battle tank hull having an exterior wall of general turtle back contour provided with an tudinal sill and a hull fitting over said chassis and the hull forms a downwardly. extending rib 24.

which extends below the level of the top of. the chassis sill 3 and makes possible the lowering of the bottom of the, door opening to more nearly the level of thebottom edge of the hull throughout the remainder of its perimeter without increasing the weight of the hull by extending its sides and ends down to the same level all around its perimeter. This reduces the area of the silhouette presented by the tank to the extent of the depth of web 24.

An opening 25 at therear of opening 4 pro vides access to the engine compartment and this opening may be covered by a plate 26. At the resting on said sill, the side of said hull having a downwardly offset portion extending below the level of the top of said sill, and a door opening in 'the wall of said hull adjacent said portion, the

bottom edge; of said opening being substantially flush with the top ofzsaid sill but spaced above the lower edge of said offset portion, said downwardly offset portion merging. with the wall at ,each side of the door opening to form a continuous lower side edge of the'hull to contribute to its rigidity and render it self-supporting beyond said sill.

5. A battle tank hull having an exterior wall of general turtle back contour, including an upwardly facing upper portion and a portion extending downwardly and outwardly from said upper portion, therebeing an opening in said upper portion, surrounded by a rim for mounting a turret, there being adepression in said outarea in advance ofsaid opening and having an opening surrounded by a rim for mounting a gun frame, the portions of said wall between said rims being curved to merge with said rims.

WILLIAM M. SHEEHAN. SAMUEL T. WHARTON, JR. 

